The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Bay tops Fairview in OT
Nortz scores winning goal as Rockets in district final again
Bay junior Evan Taylor first saved the day, then junior Sam Nortz became the hero as the host Rockets upended Fairview, 2-1, in overtime on Oct. 26 to advance to their sixth straight Division II district final.
Bay (12-2-4) will play rival Rocky River at 5 p.m. Oct. 29 at Avon Lake.
Trailing, 1-0, for most of the game, the Rockets’ hopes of advancing were looking bleak until Taylor ripped a goal past Fairview goalkeeper Alex Farkas with eight minutes remaining to even things.
And then in overtime, Nortz wasted no time and ended it on a laser strike, assisted by Taylor, two minutes into OT for a thrilling victory.
“We were fighting for our lives,” Nortz said. “I just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible and get out of here. Every team is going to give it their all and you never know what to expect. It feels great I helped the team out.”
Except 2010, Bay has made it to a district final every year since 1987. It’s a testament to the job coach Bobby Dougherty has with
THE SCORE
BAY 2, FAIRVIEW 1 (OT)
Up next: Bay will play Rocky River at 5 p.m. on Oct. 29 at Avon Lake in the Division II district final.
the program. And they have experience on their side coming off a state final berth a year ago.
“This time of year is always wonderful,” Dougherty said. “I’ve been doing this for a long time and when I walk around and see the leaves changing, it’s that special time of year. I’m on this field every day for my health classes and physical education classes, and I come out here and say, ‘Not today. Let’s keep going one more day.’ Experience helps, and the confidence is there and we know what to expect. We’re not going to see anything different.”
Fairview (13-5-1) senior Elion Bendo, a scoring machine with 35 goals this year, got the Warriors on the board in the 18th minute of the first half. From there, there were missed opportunities from both teams.
“It was a complete battle,” Fairview coach Dave Snow said. “I am so proud of these guys, they are phenomenal.”
With 5:17 left, Bay senior Mitch Matakovich nearly tied it up with a shot that went off the top cross bar, and a few minutes later, Cade Gergye ripped a shot that was a mere few feet wide.
In the second half, Fairview’s Jared Wilkinson had a shot of his own that nearly slipped past Bay goalkeeper Brent Hull.
Bay’s persistence and urgency kicked in when Taylor shined through down the stretch.
“It was chaos,” Dougherty said. “I told the boys after the game, no one walks in and hands you anything. Fairview had a wonderful year and they played like rock stars today. They had a few opportunities to make this a 2-0 or 3-0 game, and so we have to be a little more poised. There’s a confidence in us, but not cockiness. We have to fight for our lives every day. We didn’t have anything on frame. Anything we shot, it was either just wide or over. And I said we have to put it on the surface. It takes someone to step up and be special.”
“I was just waiting for my chance,” Taylor said about his goal. “And I got my opportunity. We know every team is coming at us as hard as they can and we just wanted to win. None of us wanted to go home and we want to play another 80 minutes.”